I hosted a cocktail party last week for a friend of mine, Tara, who sells Stella & Dot jewelry.  I met Tara at one of her recent jewelry trunk shows and totally fell in love with the jewelry and her fun personality.  I decided to host a little trunk show of my own and invite some of my girl friends.  You all know that I love to host parties and pretty much look for any excuse to entertain, so I jumped at the chance to mix my love of jewelry and cocktail hour together. 

 Unfortunately, I was experiencing a very busy week.  The party was planned for Thursday at 6:30 and I had opera tickets for Wednesday night.  This did not leave ANY time to prepare appetizers.  I really enjoy making appetizers from scratch, but without a lot of time I had to really think about food I could prepare ahead to serve the evening of the party.  I remembered these great wafers my mom made at Easter and thought I could switch out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat to give them a healthy twist.  Cheese and wine are a never-fail combination so I knew these would get devoured.  They took almost no time to throw together and then stayed fresh wrapped up in the fridge for a few days.  On the night of the party, I was able to just slice, bake, and serve.  They were such a hit that I’m considering making a few logs to keep frozen in case of impromptu guests.

Whole Wheat Cheddar Wafers

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, grated and at room temperature
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Using a handheld mixer, whip the butter and cheese together in a bowl until creamy.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cayenne, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined.

Gather dough into a ball and split in half.  Roll each half of the dough into a log and wrap with parchment paper,  twist up the ends to seal.  Chill the logs for at least 4 hours.  These can also be frozen for a later date.  Once the dough has chilled, slice 1/4 inch wafers and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges.  Depending on the thickness of your logs, this recipe makes around 3 dozen wafers.

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